


A Little's Enough

by pony_express



Category: Angels & Airwaves, Blink-182
Genre: Blood and Violence, Gun Violence, M/M, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-06-25
Packaged: 2018-11-19 00:37:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11302122
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pony_express/pseuds/pony_express
Summary: War!AUHeavy gun in his hand, American flag above his left breast. This wasn’t how he was supposed to spend his early 20’s.. . . And he’d take a bullet back too, with the biggest smile on his face, because he was sure he couldn’t live through this without David.





	A Little's Enough

It was the coldest day in all the war. It had to be. Tom couldn’t remember a colder day. He felt frozen. Solid. Like frozen fish fingers or something. 

Oh, now he starts thinking about food, again. He really didn’t want too. Yeah he was hungry, but that should be the last thing on his mind. What he was about to do here, needed his full attention. What he was about to do, he didn’t agree with but he was forced here, as was everyone else here, to his knowledge. 

He pulled his collar more so. It couldn’t get any tighter, and the wind was swirling round the top where there was a slight gap between his neck and the bitter outside. He ran a little quicker and sat down behind the trench. 

He’s thoughts had him back there, wondering why he was here. Against he’s best judgement. He knew this was wrong. It felt wrong. 

Heavy gun in his hand, American flag above his left breast. This wasn’t how he was supposed to spend his early 20’s. And what happens when it’s all done. When he’s all done. 

Shit! What if he actually died here... That was... No, he couldn’t think about that. He had to hope the war would end the pain. Bring the peace. Just like in his better dreams.  
And the stars would appear brighter. And every tear would be so alone. And Tom... He’d still be here. He just had to be. He had to see this through. See if it was all worth it. It didn’t feel like it would ever be worth it. Worth the lives of the friends he lost. 

The war felt like it was against nothing. A faceless emery. Like battling the wind, which Tom couldn't win against. As if to reinforce this point the wind crept into his collar and danced around his neck. He shivered. He needed to be here so see that he could, change the world. If not directly... Instrumentally. Yes. He could fix anything. He had to believe that. That was keeping him alive. 

A heavy sigh brought him back forward to there. The trench and the moment he’d been scared of. The moment were he’d become something he swore he’d never. 

The sigh came from David, and Tom returned with a smile.

“You scared?”

“Petrified!” 

David rested his hand on Tom’s shoulder. “You’ll be fine, I’m sure you aren’t the only one here who feels that”

“I... I just don’t get the war...”

“That’s deep... And we’ve been through that before” He was right, now wasn’t the time or the place.

“I know... It’s...” Tom lost his train of thought. He shouldn’t look David right into the eyes if he wanted or needed to use his brains at some point. “You...” Tom trailed off into a whisper.

“Me?” Tom didn’t realise the first few words of his deep thoughts had been aired. The wind was a bitch today. Sending him chills, and though gaps he couldn’t control and now it’d carried his words to David’s ear. Should he explain it? Could he explain it?

“You... You...” Tom couldn’t find any words. Not one. He couldn’t even make a joke. Nothing. He needed to say something. “Look like you’re sad...”

“Well, I’m in the middle of a fucking pointless war Tom. It’s understandable... I think.”

“No, I mean... Fuck it. I don’t know what I mean”

“Tom...” Tom looked at him and then away. Back across the miles he just ran loaded down by the stupid gun. He looked down at the gun, he’s muddy boots. This. This wasn’t how he should tell David. “It sounds important” David continued, moving a fallen bit of hair from his face. “Just tell me.”

Tom looked at him again and then went back to staring off into space. The sound of gun shots put an end to Tom’s thoughts. All of them flying around his head at a billion miles per hour. It was crazy. This whole thing was crazy.

“Because... Because I doubt you’d have another chance to say it again...”

“Aw, no. David. Don’t say that.” Tom felt a tear run down his face. “You and me we’re gonna live through this. We’re gonna change the world. And be alive to reap the benefits of it all..” And he thinks he hears David grumble speak for yourself, but that bitch of a wind isn’t kind. 

He can’t find the words to continue either, but he knows he’s got too. It’s now or never. David’s right. He might not get through this. And if he does, and he’s got it all off his chest than reaping the benefits would be so much more fun. He smiled briefly, and then turned to David. He moved his hand up to David’s check. 

There were no words. There didn’t need to be any. He moved forward and took David’s lips with his own. And if he thought about it for a second, perhaps this was a little better than he imagined.

Bombs and guns going off all around them and they’re just there, enjoying each other and it’s actually pretty fucking romantic. He wanted to think about it longer. The actions too take more time than they did. He needed it too. He pulled away and looked up through dipped eyelashes. There was a glint in David’s eye. A lone tear.

“The cure is just... too just let in... just a little more love” Tom said catching the tear with his finger before it began to fall.

“There’s no time”

Tom looked down. Fucking gun! He’d shot himself in the foot if it would get him out of his, and into David’s arms forever. David’s got nice arms he thought with a slight smile.

“But...” he began knowing it was useless. They’d have to make a move soon. He could feel it. Around them their friends where, and although he wanted to stay he just couldn’t. 

Changing the world meant for everyone. Too go over that trench and fucking change the world, not sit there and just change it for him and David. But for everyone. And right now he was letting everyone down. But he needed too... He couldn’t let himself down either. Or his best friend, who was now holding his hand.

“You gotta understand... Just... Right now... Right now that little is enough” Tom nodded. He knew David was right. He was always right.

The wind blew hard again. And they had to be go now. Now or never.  
But David wouldn’t let go of Tom’s hand and Tom just couldn’t let go of David’s. He knew he had too. Firing a gun wasn’t something he’d not mastered one handed. Which was a shame. Really. 

Tom looked up. He wanted one last look. Just too know he was still here. It was still real. He saw the tallest trees, and the clearest sky. And in front of him, in stark contrast to the deepest blue from above, was a bloody messy battle front.  
He breathed in deep. He could do this. 

Clear skies meant he could. From some reason. And he was in no state to question his logic right now. It had got him this far.  
He’s gonna change the world. And he’s gonna do it right now. He turned to David with a smile on his face that insanity went as soon as he saw him. 

Blood rushing down the side of his face. Tom franticly checked David’s face in a bid to try and locate where the bleed was. He eyes filled with tears, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. He flailed. Waving his arms above his head in a last attempt to call over the medic. His best friend was dying. Right next to him and there was nothing. Nothing he could do to stop it.  
He looked down through the streams of tears and half smiled. David still had hold of his hand. He felt he’d cry some more, if he’d not already dried his eyes out. 

Fucking..! 

He had to stay, if just for a little while. Even if he wanted to move he just couldn’t. Even if that next bullet was aimed right at him. That’s his best friend. He hoped would be something more one day, and now it would never happen. None of it. All of Tom’s dreams there had died along with him.

Tom removed David’s hat. ‘Some fucking hat’, he thought. The tallest trees were suddenly not so pretty. They’d killed the one thing here that was.  
He put the hat on top of his own. One way he thought to himself of keeping David with him. He needed to feel that close again. 

...Now he had to go. He really did. Guns, he heard them fire. Tears would fall once again here if they were any still to fall because he had to let go. He had to remove his hand from David’s. He kissed it as he removed it, finger by finger.

And the revenge would just wash over him, and the change in him had begun.

Now he was ready. He stood up and sighed heavily. This was it now!

He ran over the trench. He just got faster and faster. He didn’t care anymore. The one thing he lived for had just gone. 

He’d fixed him. Got it off his chest. Fixed David in the process too, made him die smiling. That had to be something to be proud of. He was happy. And Tom did it. He fixed it. And some bastard from across this hill had taken that. 

Suddenly the war was real. He had an emery. The emery had a face. And he needed to be taken, just as David was. 

And Tom would do it with a big fucking smile on his face. And he’d take a bullet back too, with the biggest smile on his face, because he was sure he couldn’t live through this without David.

And now he was sure too, that that little... It was enough.


End file.
